At their annual party conference on Saturday 11 October, Plaid Cymru members backed a motion that described Israel as an “apartheid state”, guilty of “genocide, ethnic cleansing and war crimes” (it is worth noting that in its coverage, the BBC omitted the motion’s mention of genocide). Proposed by Ben Lake, MP for Ceredigion Preseli, the motion was a response to over a year of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and decades of illegal occupation.
The motion noted that Israel has been in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions and International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings and should receive no assistance until it complies. The resolution called for the UK government to expel the Israeli ambassador, ban all arms sales, support the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into potential war crimes, a complete cultural and economic boycott of Israel, and divestment from companies that “support the apartheid Israeli state”.
Reacting to the motion, Ismail Patel, Chair of Friends of Al-Aqsa, said, “We welcome the motion passed by Plaid Cymru calling on the government to take meaningful action against Israel for its ongoing genocide and occupation. Their call for a cultural and economic boycott is a significant practical step that illustrates the growing popularity of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which remains one of the most effective tools through which people and governments can help end the genocide.
“By adopting this stance, the party has brought itself in line with international law and humanity. We encourage other parties to follow suit and put pressure on Keir Starmer’s Labour to take meaningful action to end UK complicity in Israel’s crimes."
Help free Palestine